Liam j



(No Model.)

A. J. SPIGBR.

THILL COUPLING.

No. 386,276. Patented July 17, 1888.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

lo-Ldhngmphcn Walhmglon. 0.1;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDRE? J. SPICER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, VVIL- LIAMJ. MATOHETT, AND EDWVARD A. KING, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 386,276, dated July 17,1888.

(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. SPICER, of Portland, in the county ofMultnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and ImprovedThill-Ooupling, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, forming a part thereof, in whichFigure 1 is a transverse section of my improved thill-coupling taken online 0000 in Fig.

2. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view, and Fig. 4 isa detail rear view, of the coupler.

Similar letters of reference indicate cone [5 sponding parts in all theviews.

The object of my invention is to rovide a simple, inexpensive, andefficient coupling for quickly and securely connecting thills or poleswith carriages.

My invention consists in a clip adapted to clamp the carriage axle andprovided with a tapering dovetailed vertical groove, athillcouplerjointed to the thill-irons and provided with adovetailed armfitted to the tapering 5 dovetailed groove in the clip, aconicallypointcd screw inserted in the dovetailed arm of the coupler,adapted to engage the clip, and provided with an eye at its outer endand astrap attached to the axle and extending through the eye of thescrew, all as hereinafter more fully described.

To the axleAis fitted the clip B, having the threaded shanks a at oneedge of the clip, and the clip is secured by an apertnred cross-bar,

5 1), fitting over the shanks a and held in place by nuts 0. The frontside of the clip is thickened and provided with a tapering dovetailedgroove, (1. To the dovetailed groove d is fitted a dovetailed arm, 6,formed integrally with 0 the coupler G. A screw, D, having the endfpointed, and provided at the opposite end with an eye, 9, is inserted inthe threaded aperture in the arm 6, in position to engage the undersurface of the thickened front portion 5 of the clip 13. To the axle Ais secured a strap,

h, which passes through the eye 9 of the screw D, and is engaged by abuckle, i, secured to,a short strap, j, connected with the axle.

The coupler O is provided with the usual apertured cars, It, forreceiving the couplingbolt Z, which passes through the thill-irons m, ofthe ordinary form. The tapering form of the arm 6 causes it to fitclosely in the dovetailed groove (Z by its own gravity, the wider end ofthe said arm being uppermost. The screw D, passing through the arm a anden gaging the clip Bin the manner described, prevents the accidentalescape of the arm 6 from the groove (1, and also prevents rattling. Thestrap h, inserted in the eye 9 of the screw D, prevents the said screwfrom being accidentally loosened. To remove the thills from the vehicle,the strap h is withdrawn from the eye 9 and the screw D is loosened,when the arm 6 may be readily lifted from the groove (Z of the clip.

Having thus described myinvention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. The combination, with the clip B, provided with thetapering dovetailed groove d, of the coupler 0, having the taperingdovetailed arm 0, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the clip B, having a dovetail groove, (l, thecoupler 0, having a dovetail arm, 6, adapted to enter the groove d, ofthe conically-pointed screw 1), substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

3. The combination of the clip B, provided with the tapering dovetailedgroove (2, the coupler G, having the arm 6, the conically- So pointedscrew D, furnished with the eye 9, and the strap h, attached to the axleand extending through the eye 5 of the screw, substan tially asdescribed.

4. The combination, with the clip, B having a tapering dovetail groove,d, of the coupler C, said coupler consisting of the body portion havinga tapering dovetail arm, 6, adapted to be fitted in the groove d, andthe forwardly-extending arms terminating in aper- 9c tured ears K,substantially as and for the purpose described.

ANDREW J. SPIOER. \Vitnesses:

F. R. STRONG,

Trros. N. STRONG.

